Freedom under conditions of necessity

Abstract

In this paper I explore a certain conception of ideology with the aim of situating the subject conducting intellectual work acting under given premises. A theory of ideology based on Paul Ricoeur’s work on the subject offers a frame in which ideology functions in a positive and negative manner, at the same time according to a fundamental structure. In the second half of the paper I discuss the notion of utopia as a way to move beyond ideology, or at least push its limits.